Bloomberg hackers lose court bid to avoid extradition
Source: Boston.com
Two men from Kazakstan, accused of trying to extort $200,000 from Bloomberg L.P. after breaking into the company's computer system, lost a court bid Wednesday to avoid extradition to the United States to face trial.
Oleg Zezev, 27, and Igor Yarimaka, 37 who have been held in a London prison since their arrest in August 2000 had challenged a May 2001 court ruling that opened the way for their extradition, arguing the U.S. government had not provided enough evidence on the case.
But Lord Woolf, the lord chief justice, ruled Thursday that the judge in the earlier court hearing was ''perfectly entitled'' to come to the conclusion he did, and refused both men permission to seek a judicial review of the decision.
The pair must now await the final decision of Home Secretary David Blunkett on whether they will be extradited. Woolf is the top judge for England and Wales.
Zezev, employed as a technical expert by a company contracted by Bloomberg, and his attorney Yarimaka were arrested after Michael Bloomberg, former chief executive officer of the financial information company, tipped off police about a meeting at London's Hilton Hotel with the two men.
Bloomberg, who has since become mayor of New York, had received an e-mail from a man named ''Alex'' demanding the money in return for information on security breaches.
